Brussels has launched an investigation into the Austrian energy drink company Red Bull, which is in one of the most important sectors. The European Commission launched a surprise inspection on Monday, citing possible antitrust violations. “On Monday, March 20, officials from the European Commission visited our facilities,” the company confirmed in a brief statement on Tuesday, according to APA, after Brussels reported the opening of legal proceedings against an unidentified company in the beverage sector. Presence in several Member States.
In this note, Red Bull assures that it will cooperate with the European Commission, which it will contact for any further information about the case. According to APA, agents of the Austrian Federal Competition Authority also took part in the search.
The company had revenue of 9,684 million euros in 2022, up 24% compared to the previous year. More than 11 billion cans of this drink have been sold worldwide.
The Commission, which did not specify the name of the company or the countries where the registration was made, recalled that the unannounced inspection is a preliminary step to investigate alleged anti-competitive practices.
However, he specified that making these visits does not mean that the company is guilty of anti-competitive behavior, nor does it predetermine the outcome of the investigation.
In fact, the European Commission recently closed an antitrust investigation it launched against Coca-Cola, alleging that the company and bottlers abused their dominant market position by offering discounts to retailers in several member states to hurt entry or expansion. on the other drinks market.
“The decision to terminate the preliminary investigation is based on an evaluation of all available evidence, including an evaluation of information received from Coca-Cola, its bottlers, retailers and competitors. Based on the evidence gathered, the commission has concluded that there are insufficient grounds to proceed with the investigation,” it said in a statement, which said it would continue to monitor the sector’s business practices.
Source: El Diario
